Astros: 3 under-the-radar prospects to keep an eye on at mini-camp

Some Astros prospects have made their way to West Palm Beach, but which names could be flying under-the-radar?

The Major League Baseball lockout has delayed the start of spring training for the 2022 season, and as we sound like a broken record, minor-league players are not affected at the moment.

The Minor League Baseball season can move forward without a major-league Collective Bargaining Agreement, as Houston Astros‘ farmhands start to arrive in West Palm Beach, Florida, this week.

No 40-man rostered prospects can attend though, which leaves out Jeremy Peña, Forrest Whitley and others.

Minor-league pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report on Feb. 28 with position players to follow on March 5. The regular MiLB season doesn’t start until early April, a few days following the scheduled start of the MLB season.

Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reported a group of prospects that will be present for Minor League mini-camp, which leads into minor-league spring training.

Top prospects catcher Korey Lee, outfielders Tyler Whitaker, Pedro Leon and Colin Barber and right-hander Alex Santos are already present. One name that was not included was right-handed pitcher Hunter Brown, who turned heads last year with his strikeout numbers.

McTaggart highlighted other prospects that will be present including minor-league signee Edwin Diaz, who has an invite to major-league spring training.

While providing insight from assistant general manager for player development Pete Putila, McTaggart noted that major-league personnel is present as well.